Hello everyone:

Welcome to the bane of many a professor’s existence: sentence fragments. Oh, my, if I had. A nickel for every. Sentence fragment that. Abounds in many. Students’ work. I. Would be. Wealthy.

Okay, so maybe I wouldn’t be dripping in diamonds or frolicking in fur, but I could, in the very least, pay a visit to Cracker Barrel.

There are times when the fragment really appears to be a part of the sentence that went before or after it, but there are times when it seems to materialize on its own. So how do you avoid writing them? Please proofread your document. Read it out loud and you will be amazed at the number of mistakes you will catch before the professor lays an eye on your assignment.

Allow me a slight digression here. I am bent over double in laughter when a student tells me that he or she doesn’t need to “poof reed,” “prove reed,” or the like. They have, therein, proven the fact that they really do need to take the extra time to have a second look. Please humor me here.

Yes, I understand that auto-correct can do in your best intentions. When texting with friends, “that blasted autocorrect” (as I call it), can make it necessary to correct and re-correct your document, but please take the few extra seconds to perfect your writing.

If nothing else, your rich professor will have to pay his or her own way to Cracker Barrel! Have a great day!

Best,

Dr. Sheri